Winning the league ain’t easy. And defeat to Newcastle has made it that little bit harder.
I always think during a campaign there are litmus tests. Decent sides who you need to get a result at away. This season they are the likes of Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle.
The trio are not title challengers, but will probably the best of the rest. And anyone that goes away to all three and wins will probably lift the Premier League title. We have 2 wins and a loss in the games.
It was always a tough start to the season.
10 games in and we have been away to Manchester City, Newcastle, Villa and Spurs. Our 11th game is away to Chelsea. Liverpool aside, that will be our 5 toughest away days done and we have only played a dozen games.
Our second defeat of the season leaves us 7 points off top. To some, that is already an impossible gap to close and our title chances are being written off.
Personally, I do not think we are out of the title race. We have had a very tough start and we are more than capable of winning 10 on the spin.
To mount a title challenge season in, season out is not an easy thing to do.
During our peak period under Arsene Wenger (1997/98-2004/05), we did not challenge for the title every season, even if we finished second in the league.
In 1999/2000, we finished 18 points behind Manchester United. The season after it was 10. In both of these years it never felt like we were in the title race despite finishing second. Likewise in 2004/05, once our unbeaten run was ended it felt like Chelsea ran away with it. Again we finished 2nd but we never really challenged.
Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp were a force to be reckoned with. They were Manchester City’s closest challengers for so long. But the my didn’t not challenge for the title every season.
2018/19 was the first year they Liverpool challenged under Klopp, finishing second with a mammoth 97 points. The year after they won’t the league! But then in 2020/21 they failed to mount a challenge, finishing 3rd and 17 points behind.
They challenged once again in 2021/22, finishing 2nd and a single point behind. And then after that they fell away with a 5th place finish (22 points behind) and 3rd place finish (9 points behind).
In the 8 full seasons under Klopp, I would say Liverpool only put up a proper title challenge in 4 of them (18/19, 19/20, 20/21 & 23/24).
Our title challenge this season might be over following the defeat to Newcastle. And if that is the case I will be disappointed. But not challenging for the title every year does turn you into a poor team, or make you a poor manager.
Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t challenge for the title every year. Neither did Wenger or Klopp. Even Pep Guardiola with City has not challenged year in, year out.
We can not keep questioning Mikel Arteta and claiming we are in some sort of crisis everytime we have a result that does not go our way.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
Many a team lose up at at St James’s. There’s so many games and with playing Everyone except Chelsea and Forrest in the top half. MO is back now. City have struggled since Rodris been out.. and as for the clowns digging out our team, makes me sick. ❤️
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